Toasty Toasts

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Netflix and Chill

Sometimes the best way to beat the winter blues is to head for the great indoors—so go ahead, put on your fuzzy socks, grab a blanket and curl up in front of an episode or 10 of Stranger Things. “When I first tasted [this cocktail], that’s what I imagined myself doing,” says Vincent LaForm, general manager at The Shady Lady Saloon, about how he came to name the R Street bar’s cult favorite Netflix and Chill. And just like that binge-worthy Danish thriller your hipster friend won’t shut up about, this quaff is a cherished secret among the watering hole’s devotees. Although the nightcap, which debuted on the winter menu in 2015, was taken out of the official lineup this season, it’s still on offer (and all year round too)—if you know to ask for it.

A variation on Irish coffee, the cocktail is a more refined riff on LaForm’s guilty-pleasure drink of choice: Starbucks’ sugar-shocked caramel macchiato. A simple yet precise (and classified) blend of 79 Gold caramel vodka and Vaneli’s coffee with a sprinkle of sea salt atop house whipped cream, the soul-warming, salty-sweet emulation is as comforting as a rerun of Friends. Take a nippy-weather sip—it’ll be there for you when the rain starts to pour. $11. 1409 R St. 916-231-9121. shadyladybar.com—C.Y.